Awaken to Confusion
by Rachynn
Summary: [Hiatus][AU] A deadly virus has been stolen and criminals threaten to release it unless their demands are met.
1. Prologue

**Lukey's Bar**

**By: Rachynn**

**Prologue**

**-----**

Lukey's Bar was a cozy place with a welcoming atmosphere despite its outward appearance. The young owner often said that this missing bricks, rusty doors and cracked windows added to the charm and quality of the bar. Besides who was going to judge the bar by its appearance when most of the client's only cared what was on tap?

The bar was still the same as it was when it was built 50 years ago. It rested on the corner of two less-travelled roads in the downtown section, off the path of the common tour routes. The bar itself was owned and operated by the same family since it was built, but as the family's reputation changed drastically so did its clientele. Now it was pretty much ignored by the masses and only served the few dedicated customers who returned every night to drink away the harsh reality's of their life.

-----

The sleek black SUV pulled steadily around the corner, coming into view of the old crumbling bar. A 21 year old man sat in the driver's seat, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel. His eyes were clouded over with concentration, their golden orbs fixated on the road ahead. Beside him sat a woman, regal with her perfect posture and crown of cascading black hair. She sat with her hand folded in her lap and her eyes downcast.

The man parked the car and leaned back, breathing a sigh of relied. The woman unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the man's hand. They sat holding hands for a while before letting go.

"We have to go in sometime" the man said.

The woman shook her head. "No, if we never leave this car we won't have to tell them. We'll be safe."

"You knew the moment you met me that safety would never really existed again. He's going to know eventually, he _is_ my brother." He smiled weakly when he said this.

"Your brother won't like this, not at all. He's the leader of the most feared criminal syndicate in the world, pissing him off like this won't do any good. He could … he could …" she couldn't go on, but her partner knew what she meant.

"Your right, as usual. We can't just sit here though! I can't spend the rest of my life living a lie and afraid that my brother might catch me. I can't do that! We have to tell him that we …" he never got the chance to finish, because at that moment gunfire rained down upon the car.

The bullets were everywhere, the sound made his ears feel like they were bleeding. He swore and fumbled with the ignition, trying to start the car, trying to escape.

The woman shrieked and covered her face with hands but that wasn't nearly enough to save her from the hell that had just erupted. At least 5 bullets had buried themselves in her chest in the first half a minute.

The man swore again when he felt a strange shooting pain in his leg. The warm sticky wetness that flowed soon afterwards backed up his theory that he gotten shot. More bullets continued to shower the car. The two unlucky occupants hardly had a chance.

-----

The slender hand on her shoulder made her head turn so that she was staring straight into the cold, pale face of The Boss. Abruptly the gun in her hand clattered to the pavement and the other shooters beside her stopped as well. The Boss had a fill-the-room kind of personality; he commanded respect where ever he went. Apparently now, that the target had been taken out he had a few words for her. She stood tall in his presence and held her head high, waiting for his remarks.

"You've done well Kagome. It seems my previous doubts about your capabilities on this mission were made in ignorance." His voice was like ice and fire rolled into one, even after living with it for most of her life she would never get used to it. The initial shock of getting a compliment from The Boss wore of soon and pride shone in her chestnut eyes.

The car across the street smouldered and creaked with the amount of bullets that they had pumped into it. The two passengers were slumped of the dashboard, covered in the broken glass of the windshield.

Rudely a small cell-phone was shoved into her hands. Kagome tore her eyes from the wreck back to The Boss, pride fading to questioning.

"Now call 911"

-----

**A/N: **Mwahahaha. This is just a prologue so don't worry if it doesn't make to much sense, chapter one should be up in a few day, by the end of the week at most. Yes this is a new story, and if you've read my other ones, don't worry this isn't a fic were I kill off all the main characters. But that made you want to read my other fics. Ha! Sorry I'm really hyper. So thank you for reading my newest ficcy and please leave a review to tell me if you liked it or not, again this is a prolouge and it will all make sense in the end...I hope. Well enough from me! Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Getting Drunk, Tired and Lost

**Lukey's Bar**

**Chapter 1**

By: Rachynn 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. (I realized that I forgot this in the Prologue)

**A/N:** So you better understand this chapter, it takes place five years after the events of the Prologue.

**In this chapter:** Questions are raised and few answers are given. They hear of a man's awakening and a virus is stolen. A henchman was sleep and a lost boy is found.

* * *

A huge plasma TV sat behind the bar, framed with the shiny glasses and bottles. It blared loudly into the vast room filled with clusters of old weathered tables and comfy leather chairs. The bar was scarcely populated; a tallish young woman stood cleaning up little pools of yellow beer from around another young woman who was slumped of the bar with her head buried in her arms. In the corner sat a man drinking back a bottle of beer. The TV was playing the news, the only thing that would please everyone besides soccer. 

"In a startling turn of events today at Irigi Hospital, long-term coma patient InuYasha awoke after a minor explosion rocked a research lab in the south wing. Reporting from the scene is our own reporter Toji Funa …" The drone of the typically cheerful news anchor was the only sound in the bar.

Slowly the mop of black hair raised itself from the bar to stare at the TV. Her blue eyes were bleak and shaded from the dim lighting, but they had a hardened look about them. Her arms remained folded on top of the bar, and her face had red splotches on the checks from where they had been leaning against her arms.

The woman cleaning the bar near the patron dropped her cloth in suprise and the man in the corner sat his bottle down with a loud clang. A look passed between them, a look of excitement and tension.

"I'm sure his family is happy," the black haired girl said. "Got to be exciting, having your son or brother or boyfriend finally waking up and returning to your life after, what was it, 5 or so years."

The bartender nodded. "Say Miroku" she called to the man in the corner, "Wasn't that they guy who got shot just outside the door here?" Not the best thing to say in front of a customer, but Songo was pretty sure that this one wouldn't mind. The black haired girl had been sitting drinking shot after shot for the better part of four hours.

"It was. That was a scary day, I remember it well. Can you imagine just sitting here minding your own business with a beer in your hand when suddenly your ears are ringing from the sound of gunfire?" The man shook his head sadly. "That was a tragic day"

"Didn't his girlfriend die in that shooting?" the drunk girl at the bar asked. "I remember the news was in uproar about it, because she was some rich young executive. They were going to get married weren't they?" her voice was bitter. "People get shot everyday, but only the young, rich pretty ones make the news."

Songo nodded. "Ya, I remember that to. Tragic isn't it? To be cut down in the prime of life like that, I wonder if the poor guy knows his girlfriend is dead yet? Seeing as this incident happened just outside the bar, I hope they catch the bastards who were involved in the shooting. I don't think the police have closed the case yet. Say" she said to the girl in front of her "What's your name? I don't see you here very often."

"No, this is my first time here. The names…Kagome." Then she stood. She wasn't tall, more like average height. She wobbled a bit and steadied herself with a hand on the bar as she waited for the room to stop spinning. "Sorry" she murmured. "I have to go. Thanks for the beer." She dropped a bill onto the table and left the bar, the door shutting behind her with a resounding SMACK.

Miroku was at the bar immediately. He stood close to Songo and grasped her hand as soon as it was near the vicinity of his own. He smiled, staring into his fiancée's dark eyes. She stared back into his eyes with excitement. "He's back," they both whispered at the same time.

"When do you think he'll be released? How long do you think will it take for Sesshomaru to let us see him?" Songo asked quickly. Finally after 5 long years of waiting, InuYasha was awake. He would come back to her and Miroku and they could go on living in peace. With him back, they might be able to escape this life that they had been forced to live in. Her mind creaked as the thought-wheels in her head turned with the outcomes of the situation on hand.

Her fiancée spoke with just the same amount of excitement but it was a little more held back, as Miroku was always the more practical thinker. "I have no idea, but I really hope that it's soon. Five years has been hell without InuYasha here to commiserate with us. Knowing Sesshomaru though, he'll take his sweet time in letting us see him."

Songo sighed. "Probably. Sesshomaru has gotten way too over protective of his possessions since the shooting. Think that he'll do the same for his brother?"

"Not likely, those two have hated each other since the day they were born. It's probably because the shooting was on Taisho turf and it made him look bad. It was an embarrassment for him really. His own brother was almost killed right outside Sesshomaru 's stronghold. Sesshomaru took that hard, which is probably why all the shooters in that squad The Boss sent after InuYasha are dead."

"Almost"

"What?"

"You said that all the shooters were dead. That's not true, I heard Sesshomaru say that he had on good authority, information about the identity of the last remaining shooter. He suspects the Boss himself being there at the shooting but he can't prove it. Hey what about that Kagome girl?"

Miroku was now sitting in the chair vacated by Kagome, twirling his finger in the rim of the girl's glass. "What about her?"

Songo came around from behind the bar to sit in the chair next to him. "Well, didn't she seem kind of familiar to you? The whole time she was here I kept getting this feeling that I knew her from somewhere."

Miroku laughed. "An old customer?"

Songo shook her head. "No she's to young to have been a regular. When she came in I got the impression that she had never been into a bar to drink before. There's something about her that I can't put my finger on. Oh well."

Miroku stared at his fiancée and then at the door.

* * *

"Mr. Sesshomaru?" the voice on the other end of the line was the kind that is eternally happy. You could tell that kind of person that the world was going to end in five minutes and they would still sound so bloody happy! 

"What?" he snapped back. He didn't have time for petty telephone calls; he had important stuff to do.

"This is Irigi Hospital, calling about your brother InuYasha. When he was admitted into the Long-term Care Ward you had requested that you be notified at any change in his condition." The cheerful voice said, unaffected by Sesshomaru's earlier snap.

"Yes I am aware of what I requested." Not many people had the number of this particular cell phone, so Sesshomaru reasoned that this call must have been important. Either his brother had finally died or he had …

"Well, we are please to let you know that your brother has taken a turn for the best. He has awakened from his coma and is now being taken through basic tests. He should be released in a few days."

Sesshomaru was silent for a minute before hanging up, not even saying good-bye to the nurse on the other end. So his little brother was awake eh? Well now he might just have to pay him a little visit. The tall man stood up from his comfy leather chair. The trademark Taisho silver hair fell loosely down his back. His golden eyes were glaring daggers into anything that moved, which at this moment was his unfortunate right-hand man, Jaken.

Jaken was a short, stubby man with a high squeaky voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. His beady green eyes stared at his master lazily from the center of his pale face. The messy mop of black hair on top of his head was greasy and unwashed. For the n-th time that day, Sesshomaru wondered why he had surrounded him self with such revolting people. _Because they do their job and keep their mouths shut,_ replied the voice in his head, the voice of reason.

"Jaken, it seems as thought I have an urgent matter to see to. Cancel all my appointment for the remainder of the day."

"Sir?" came the voice that drove Sesshomaru around the bend. He glared even harder at the man, making his displeasure evident. Jaken swallowed and continued. "We still have the matter of the Cebolla virus to attend to. You can't just walk out now. What will our contact say when she calls later wanting a report and your not here!"

An exasperated sigh escaped Sesshomaru's lips. "Give me Cebolla. I'll take care of it. However I think you can handle our contact. If she gives you a hard time for my absence, remind her that I am an extremely busy man."

Jaken made a show of digging into his coat pocket, looking for the tiny vile that contained the dark red liquid of Cebolla. When he finally extracted it, he carefully handed it over to Sesshomaru, who took it from him and left the room without another word. Jaken remained flustered in his wake.

The lackey stared at the office of his boss. Dark chocolate walls surrounded him of four sides, devoid of any personal effects, paintings or windows. The floor was a dark, cherry wood color that lied bare and exposed from the lack of rugs or carpet. The only furniture in the room was Sesshomaru's desk, a huge, modern thing that was bare of everything but his computer. In front of the desk were two leatherback easy chairs that matched the walls and were smaller versions of the large heaven-made leather chair that Sesshomaru used.

A very tired Jaken slowly made his way out of the rooms, locking the metal door behind him. The entire weekend had been consumed with the plans to steal the Cebolla virus. The plan had gone off with out a hitch of course, as most of Sesshomaru's plans did. He shuffled his way down the hall to his own office, his head still occupied with thoughts of how much sleep he would get when Sesshomaru gave him a day off. If only Sesshomaru ever gave him a day off.

Jaken's office was smaller than Sesshomaru's, but it looked more lived in. The TV that sat on top of a shelf nailed to the wall was still on, currently showcasing an episode of some old 80's sitcom to its audience of no one. A huge gray couch took up one entire wall. The cushion was hidden by the mass of blankets that Jaken used as a bed though. Strewn about the room were random fast food wrappers and drink cups, as well as many unidentifiable objects that's origins were probably better left unknown. Jaken's desk sat in the corner buried under the weight of papers, files, memo's and a massive computer that looked like it wanted to take over the world with its sheer size. The carpet and walls were and identical bright green color that lit up the room. Yes, he much preferred his cozy office to Sesshomaru's cold one.

He sunk into his cushiony black chair in front of his computer, its faint whirring of the engine lulling him off to sleep. Suddenly he shot up straight, murmuring something about loosing his head, as he busied himself searching among papers.

The quiet tune of Beethoven's 9th Symphony played. This sent Jaken into a scramble with his over-sized coat to find his cell-phone. Upon finding it he held it to his ear, gushing out a breathy "Hello"

"Jaken? Where's Sesshomaru?" the chilly voice of the Cebolla contact reached his ear. Jaken didn't like her at all, her voice was always proud and arrogant and she demanded rather than asked.

"Mr. Sesshomaru is an extremely busy man. He was called out on an urgent appointment."

"What could be more important than the Cebolla virus? Call him and tell him I'm waiting for him."

"I'm afraid that is impossible Miss…ah Miss…" Jaken trailed off at the lack of knowledge of the contacts name.

"Kagura" she finished for him.

"Miss Kagura. I'm afraid that it is impossible for you to speak with Mr. Sesshomaru right now. I will let him know that you called when he returns sometime tonight however." He fought to keep his voice calm and cool; an angry outburst at this particular contact would not be fortunate at this time.

"Whatever. Did you get the virus from the research lab?" Kagura's voice was incredibly impatient.

"Yes. Now, I have urgent matters to attend to. If you'll let me go, I will let Mr. Sesshomaru know you called."

"You better Jaken. Or it's your head."

"Yes Miss Kagura."

_Click._ She hung up. Jaken sighed. How he hated being the right hand man of the most important crime lord in the world.

* * *

Kagome stumbled down the deserted sidewalk. Her head pounded like no one's business and the straight pavement before her kept swaying. The first time she had gotten drunk and it wasn't the fun party that her buddies back at HQ made it seem. The newscast didn't help either. Boy was she going to be in trouble when The Boss found out. 

She stopped at a bench in front of the movie theater. Kagome didn't know how far from the bar she had walked, or exactly where she was, but that wasn't of particular concern to her. She leaned her head back and moaned a bit. 'I don't like being Drunk' she thought. She closed her eyes. The sound of passing cars was annoying and increasing her headache but she was to worn out to move.

Unbeknownst to her, a short teenager had sat down beside her. He had a mop of bright red hair that hung down in front of his eyes. His face was dirt-streaked and his clothes were messy and torn in places. The boy sat on the edge of the bench hands folded in his lap, head bowed. From time to time he sniffed and whimpered, trying to hold back tears.

Kagome opened her eyes at the sound. There was a little bit of a shocked look at her eyes, which quickly gave way to anger. "Hey kid, ya mind?" she yelled in his ear, sitting up straight now.

The kid whipped around and stared at her with large blue eyes. He jumped up and started backing away from her. "I'm sorry," he muttered. Kagome watched him back into a middle-aged man with his nose stuck into a newspaper. The man shut his newspaper with an exaggerated gesture and stomped off, muttering under his breath about 'stupid street kids'. This proved to be too much for the boy who now had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Bloody soft side" Kagome whispered, getting up off the bench and making her way to the boy. The street outside the theater was pretty much empty, with only a few pedestrians milling about. She extended a hand to the boy, who looked up at her, trying to dry his tears so she wouldn't see.

"Sorry for yelling at you. Please don't cry, it will be alright." She said a soothingly as she could. Her words were a little slurred, but the boy didn't seem to notice. "Why don't you come back to the bench and tell me what's wrong?"

The boy took her hand and followed and she led him back to the bench.

"Ok. Now before you say anything. I'm drunk. First time. Take it how you will. I'm Kagome, what's your name?"

"S-s-Shippo" the boy answered.

"That's a nice name. Now why are you crying?"

"I can't find my sister. I left her outside this theater and now I can't find her…She's could have been kidnapped or … or … or…" The boy couldn't seem to go on, the alternative fate of his sister was too horrible for him to say.

Kagome's heart felt for the boy. She knew what it was like to loose someone you had loved. "When did you last see her? Did she say she was going anywhere? What does she look like? How old is she?"

If the assault of questions was to fast for Shippo he didn't show it. "We were here last night. We were going to split up and look for…um…a taxi! A taxi to take us home from the theater. She said she was going to wait in front of the theater incase a taxi pulled up while I walked up and down the street looking for one. She's about my height, with really long black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a yellow sundress that was a little baggy on her, but it was her only, I mean favorite, favorite dress. She's 14, just like me. We're twins." He answered her at about the same pace of speech, and remarkably Kagome understood him perfectly.

Kagome looked at him long and hard, searching his eyes for something. Shippo sat nervously under her gaze, sniffing back his tears. Finally she said something. "My head is killing me."

Shippo looked like he was going to explode. "Can you help me or not?" he asked through the tears.

She sighed. "No I can't. Now don't get work up like that, I know someone who can help you. Come with me. I'll take you to my house and we can give my friend a call and see if she will help us find your sister." She stood up quickly, a little to quickly for she immediately at back down. Trying again she stood up slower and more successfully this time. Shippo stood with her and unexpectedly grabbed her hand. She smiled down at him and whispered something that sounded like 'don't worry'.

Together they walked off down the street, towards the office buildings of the Business District. A messed up, drunk woman and a lost, lonely boy.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, this is the longest single chapter I have ever written on Word. W00t partyAnyways I'm proud of this chapter. Sorry it's a little late, I wrote in on my dad's laptop, thinking it had a floppy drive but it doesn't. Nor does it have Internet connection so I had to wait until he got his Internet up for him to email it to me for me to post up. Long story. Anyways it's up! Mwhahahaha Thanks for reading and please review. 

Now to discuss the story: Did you manage to figure out who was in the car that got shot in the Prologue? I bet you did. What is the Cebolla virus? The word itself has nothing to do with what it is (it's the Spanish word for onion) I just thought it sounded like the name of some deadly virus from the bowels of the Amazon. Yes I know, it's a random thing. What did you think of human Jaken? In this ficcy everyone is human, but InuYasha still has silver hair, because…. I like it that way. So to clarify, everyone is human, even Jaken. Personally I don't think Jaken gets as much love as he should. Yes I understand that he is really annoying and I do at times, wish Sesshomaru would just kill him and leave him dead. So Jaken is now a minor character in my ficcy! Can you guess who Shippo's sister is? I don't think you can, because its really random and I haven't seen it in any of the fan-fictions I've read. Well, you might figure it out from the description. I'll talk more about it in coming chapters.

Highlights from next chapter: We visit the awakened Sleeping Beauty, who gets a surprise visit from his brother. Kagome lets the readers know just whose side she's on and Shippo meets her 'friends' and 'family'.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the long authors note, but I'm really board. Please review; Reviews are like my Internet drugs.

Oh Ya! I think I should tell you all this: I know next to nothing about the mafia/gang war-fare or getting drunk. I'm going off stuff I've read in other books and fan fiction. Feel free to let me know if I'm doing stuff wrong. Next chappie should be up next week! Happy Holidays.


	3. Emotional Drain

**Awaken to Confusion**

**Chapter 2: Emotional Drain**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own InuYasha

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He saw white. The wall, the floor, the bed, all of it was white. It annoyed him to no end. Honestly, hospitals surely could afford to paint the rooms in actual colour, not plain, boring white. Blue would be nice, a soft aqua-blue to cover the walls, maybe white trim, maybe.

InuYasha stared once again into the mirror on the opposite wall, near the bathroom door. He couldn't believe how much he had changed in the 5 years he had been 'asleep'. He was a lot paler; almost completely white (another thing that bugged him about the colour). The only colour he could see in his face was the golden eyes he had inherited from his father. They were wide open and large; the shock of waking up to find that he had been in a coma for five years hadn't fully worn off yet.

The other noticeable change in his appearance was his hair. Oh, it had still retained its beautiful silver shine and playful bounciness. He could see the grease that the Herbal Essences had left in it, much to his displeasure. His hair was short. His hair, his beautiful hair had been hacked off to past his ears. The long silver locks had been savagely sawed off, with no thought to ask his permission. Upon first seeing himself like this, InuYasha had cussed out atleast half a dozen nurses who happen to be in the hearing range of his room. He put a hand to his head, once again feeling the hair line that was now so far north. He breathed deeply, once again reminding himself that hair grew back.

Since he had woken he had gorged himself on just about every morsel of food that had seen his side of the doorway. He was ravenous and could probably go for a few drinks as well. Though for all InuYasha's thoughts on food, hair loss and the evil white colour blinding him, only one was truly at the for front of his mind. Where was Kikyo? What had happened to her? The nurses and the interns all told him that he had been shot something like 10 or 11 times in the ambush. They wouldn't tell him anything about Kikyo though and it frustrated him even more. He needed to know what had happened to her. The interns said that the doctor would come by later that night to give him the full run down on his condition. Then later he would have to go home with his brother until they could get the keys to his apartment back from whoever had them. If InuYasha had more strength he would have protested. Going home with his brother was the last thing he wanted to do right now. Come to think of it, the doctor was probably being paid off by Sesshomaru to keep tabs on him. For as long as InuYasha could remember Sesshomaru had been paying people to watch him, guide him. Speaking of the devil….

"So your finally awake little brother" Sesshomaru said from where he stood in the door frame. "I must say, the haircut is a … different look on you."

InuYasha whipped around to stare at the door. There stood his brother in all his arrogant glory. "What do you want?" He growled, Sesshomaru was the last person on Earth he wanted to see right now.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. His little brother had lost none of his blunt 'charm' in the 5 years he had been asleep. He shut the door behind him and went to stand beside InuYasha's hospital bed. "Am I not aloud to speak to my little brother? I only wanted to look after your well being, I know that vegetables can't take care of themselves very well."

The two brothers glared at each other, the hate that they had felt for each other since InuYasha had been born coursing through their veins. All the words that hadn't been said in five years were coming back to each of them, some nice, some not-so-nice.

"What the hell happened?" they both yelled at the same time.

"You owe me some answers you troublesome little brat!" Sesshomaru said after a moment of pause.

"You can't call me a brat! I'm in 26! What are you talking about, I owe you answers? Look at me jack-ass! I've been in a come for the last five years because someone decided that I would make a good target! What the hell kind of answers could I give you?" InuYasha yelled right back, his temper cooling none. Who did his brother think he was to waltz in here and demand answers like that!

"What were you thinking that day? You and Kikyo were sitting out in the open, right in front of our base! You lead a bloody firing squad right to our doorstep! Thanks to you, relocating to a more unknown location was the least of our worries. What possessed you to do something so stupid and careless?"

"Answer my questions and I'll answer yours. Where's Kikyo? No one will tell me what happened to her! Is she ok?" InuYasha was deliberately avoiding the question until he found out what happened.

"She's not ok. Your careless actions got her killed! You were the lucky one; you had a wall to your back. Kikyo was exposed to the squad. You know how many bullets they pumped into her, little brother? 30! All into Kikyo's body and your at fault! Because of you, my plans for an alliance with her family were ruined. You and your foolish antics got her killed! So tell me, what the hell were you doing there? Was it worth _your_ fiancée's life?" Sesshomaru was red in the face. He had never hated his brother more than right now. The crime-boss and spent the last five years in confusion, regret and pain. All the words that had built up in the time his brother was asleep were pushing against his lips, threatening to spill forth. He breathed hard, trying to regain his cool. He didn't want to accept that InuYasha had survived the slaughter when Kikyo had not.

InuYasha had a deer-in-the-head-lights kind of look. His mouth hung open and his fist slowly unclenched and clenched. "She died?" he whispered hoarsely. His head fell against the pillow and his eyes stared up t the ceiling. Kikyo was dead… and it was his entire fault. She had warned him about going to Sesshomaru too…

_'If we never leave this car … we'll be safe"_

… Kikyo had lied. They didn't leave that car and she died.

"Yes. She died" Sesshomaru said quietly.

InuYasha stared at his brother. His lips formed the words that Sesshomaru never wanted to hear over and over again.

"I'm sorry"

Almost immediately, Sesshomaru snapped. His hand enclosed around InuYasha's throat, the hate and rage was unmistakable in his eyes, in his sneer. Pain exploded in InuYasha's brain, air fought to be in his lungs. He chocked and whimpered but Sesshomaru didn't loosen his grip. InuYasha clawed at Sesshomaru's arm, but it didn't seem to faze him. His mouth hung open, his eyes shot. _I'm sorry. Let me go. I'm sorry. Let me go. Brother please! _He couldn't form his thoughts into words.

Sesshomaru saw red. "You're sorry? Your sorry, little brother? I hate your! I've always hated you. You've always held me back since day one. Not only did you embarrass me with that shooting on home turf, but you let Kikyo die. I would it that you died in her stead!"

InuYasha tried to gasp for air as Sesshomaru realized what he was doing. Slowly his grip loosened and InuYasha sunk back onto the pillows of the hospital bed. The younger brother drunk deeply the air now pouring into his lungs. Sesshomaru back away slowly, staring at his hands. God knows he didn't plan this outburst. He never expected InuYasha to stir up this much rage in him.

He was half way to the door when InuYasha spoke, golden eyes staring into golden eyes. His voice was breathy, still gasping for air. "We were calling off the engagement. We were coming to tell you that we both loved … other people"

With one last look at his brother, shaking upon the bed like some weakling, Sesshomaru slammed the door and all but ran down the hall to the car waiting below.

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It was pitch black where she was. Her eyes were open wide but she still couldn't see her two hands tied together in front of her face. Her initial fear of being cramped into this small, cramped, lightless space had faded awhile ago. She was sure time passed differently in the trunk of this car, for she didn't have any idea how long she had been in here. There was a hole some wear near the back; because she was still able to breathe and every time the car drove over a bump she could feel a blast of cold air in her face that made her shiver.

Her hands chaffed from the rope that tied them together. She was sure all the kicking and shaking she had done in the first few hours had ripped and torn her dress. That was unfortunate; her yellow sundress was the only one she had. The car made a sharp turn that sent her crashing into the side of the trunk. Adding a new bruise to the other ones already decorating her shoulders and sides.

She needed to make a plan for escape when they opened the trunk hood. Before being locked in the trunk she had managed to catch a glimpse of at least two men, a driver and the one who had tied her hands. Though if they had added any more to their number on one of the frequent stops they had mad she didn't know. All she could hear was the sound of the tires against cold pavement and the occasional beeping of another cars horn. Her captors didn't even play music! So the poor little girl was left alone in dark silence with only her thoughts to comfort her. Her plan for escape was now to look for the closest chance to run away whenever they let her out. She could try to over-power 2 full-grown men but she knew that it wouldn't work. 6 or 7 years of living on the streets had made her tougher than most girls her age, but not that tough. It wasn't the best plan, but the lack of food or water and overdose of being tossed around had dulled her mind a little.

Another sudden stop sent her rolling into the wall. The hard surface of the wall rose up to meet her face and she shut her eyes tightly. To her surprise she didn't impact the wall, but someone's hand. Rin hadn't even heard the trunk open. She screamed a bit and tried to roll away but was stopped by the same hand, this time joined by another. Her open eyes squinted in the bright light of the sun shining directly on to her face. A young man was standing above her, with shaggy brown hair and large brown eyes. She screamed again.

"Shut up brat!" a gruff voice yelled back, his hands grabbing her waist and pulling her, kicking and screaming from the trunk. Due to the lack of opportunity to use her legs for the better part of the day, Rin was a little tipsy and had trouble standing. Not to her surprise a gross tasting gag was immediately placed in her mouth. She tried to bit the hand that was putting it in, but failed miserably. Her bottom teeth ached from the force of the top teeth crashing down on them. She panicked and tried to run, breaking free from the strange arms that held her. Unfortunately she didn't get very far, having fallen after two or three strides.

The tears began to fall out of poor Rin's eyes. Her whole life had been one problem after the next but now she was fed up. She wanted her brother, without him here she felt hopeless and weak. He had always helped her through the tough times, ever since mom died. Now she was in the middle of God knows where with two creeps, probably thinking of the best ways to kill her. She tried to scream again, but the gag blocked out most of the sound. The dewy grass brushed against her cheeks, through the tears she could make out the pale violet sky. _I don't think I'm in the city anymore_ she thought.

Then she began to feel dizzy. She hadn't slept in almost two days and now the emotional overload and the stress and the exhaustion came caving in. She'd escape, but right after … right … after… she slept.

The low murmur of deep voices rocked her to sleep so fast she didn't feel the four hands pick her up and gently lay in her stiff body in the back seat.

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"So she heard you on the phone with Taisho?" the shorter man asked, looking up from the back window of the sedan. Rin lay sleeping on the seat inside, if it could be called that. Hojo bet that her body had just shut down from pure exhaustion and had put her in a coma-like state. The tall brown haired-blue eyed man leaned against the car, coffee cup in hand. The last rays of the sun were glistening on the horizon, casting a pale violet glow one the green grass of the meadow. This was his and Souta's spot; they had found it a long time ago, just after they had met. Down the road a bit was the small house they shared, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Souta answered him from the opposite side of the car, lit cigarette hanging from between his lips. "Yea. I got off the phone and found her following me around. I couldn't tell how much she had heard, but I know that she heard something about Cebolla." They could talk freely here, no need to worry about bugs and spies in the middle of no wear. "I feel bad though. I mean she's just a kid, and from the looks of her, torn dress dirty face, a street kid. I don't know if she would blab us to the police for a scrap of food and some money, or worse somehow have connections with The Boss and tell him."

Hojo frowned. "How would a street kid have connections to The Boss?"

Souta dropped the cigarette, mashing it in the dirt with his foot. A dark look crossed his face, as if remembering something that he didn't particularly like. "How would my sister have connections to The Boss? She was around the same age when she crossed over and started working for him."

Hojo sighed. Souta and he were grunts for hire. They would do odd jobs for who ever paid the most. The thing was they were very good at what they did, so that attracted the big name customers like Sesshomaru Taisho and The Boss. However Taisho and The Boss had the biggest gang tension and rivalry between them that the world had ever seen. Every day there were victims of the feud being laid to rest. If word ever got back to either of them that Souta and Hojo did jobs for the other…Hojo swallowed hard. He didn't like the places his mind took him when that happened.

Souta didn't trust anyone but Hojo farther than he could throw them. Kagome, however, had devoted her entire life's work to him and operated exclusively under him. (Her line of work was more intelligence geared, as opposed to the hands on thievery and whatnot The Pair did.) Souta always hated the fact that Kagome refused to see The Boss as anything other than a blessing. He failed to understand how she didn't see that he was a cheat and a liar and a downright no good scum. Not that anyone else in their line of work was much better, but Souta viewed The Boss as the lowest of the low.

Seeing that this was one time to avoid confrontation with Souta, Hojo just agreed with him. "Point taken, though I highly doubt every girl is like your sister." He ignored Souta grunt of disbelief. "So, what are we going to do with her? We can't just return her to the streets and expect her to act like nothing happened. We can't kill her, she's just a kid."

Souta opened the front door of the black sedan and sat down in the passenger seat. His head turned a bit so he could just see Rin's sleeping face. Her mouth was turned into a frown and her eyes were squeezed shut, she was obviously dreaming. Hojo got into the drivers seat and turned the keys in the ignition, so that the car roared to life beneath him.

"I don't know Hojo." Souta said glumly. What had he gotten them into now?

Hojo looked at him sadly. Then suddenly an idea dawned on him. "Think we could take her to Taisho?" Out of the two, Hojo and Souta preferred Taisho to The Boss. When The Pair were stuck with a problem, they could count on Taisho, or if they couldn't find him they could count on his servant Jaken, to help them out of tough jams. "He would know what to do"

Souta nodded, it seemed as good as an idea as any. "We could try…"

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After at least 5 minutes of fumbling in the dark, Kagome found her house keys. She stood with Shippo on a dark street on the outskirts of the Business District. In front of them rose a dimly lit apartment building. The building was atleast 20 stories tall with large windows every few feet along the height and width. With a satisfying _click_ the heavy steel doors opened and Kagome strolled inside, Shippo following at a slower pace.

A 20 minute wait for the elevator added onto the 10 minutes it took Kagome to find the keys to her apartment, made Shippo a very impatient little boy. When Kagome had offered to help him on the streets by the theatre, he hadn't expected long waits, random mumblings from the woman and the generally incompetence that she had so far shown him. In his mind, he seriously began to doubt weather or not she would be able to help him find his sister.

"_Can you help me or not?" he asked through the tears._

_She sighed. "No I can't. Now don't get work up like that, I know someone who can help you."_

All his thoughts about Kagome's seemingly utter lack of intelligence vanished when he stepped into her apartment. It was … amazing. The walls were painted a cheerful aqua blue and the carpet matched. There was a long green couch facing the biggest entertainment system Shippo had ever seen and another, smaller green couch lay perpendicular to it. The coffee table in the middle of the room was stacked high with books and magazines of every kind. To the left of the living room was a small kitchen, done in the same blue. The refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and microwave all stood in line, built into the stainless steel counter tops. The sink was piled high with dirty dishes, and he could see an empty pizza box shoved into the recycling bin under the dining table that separated the living room and the kitchen. The farthest wall had two huge windows looking out onto the bright lights of the city below, covered in filmy white curtain. The other three walls were decorated with framed photographs and pictures of sunsets and beaches. Kagome took her shoes off and happily skipped through a door near the kitchen that Shippo failed to notice before.

Unsure of what to do, Shippo cautiously took off his own torn and dirty shoes, shut the front door and took a seat on the couch. He instantly sunk into the comfy-ness of the green cushions. His wide green eyes continued to stare at the room in wonderment. Everything in here probably cost more than he would ever have in his life. His initial assessment of Kagome hadn't included the fact that she was obviously loaded with cash, maybe that's why she was so clueless, she was rich.

"So, I see you've taken off your shoes and am now making yourself at home!" Kagome's cheery voice came from the kitchen. How did she move around so quietly? Shippo hadn't even heard her come out of the room. He turned his body to stare at her as she grabbed a bottle from the cupboard and a glass of water. "That's good; we've got a lot of work to do if we are going to find your sister soon." She paused for a moment to swallow the pill that had come out of the bottle. "You can sleep on the couch tonight; I'll get an extra bed set up for you tomorrow. Feel free to watch whatever you want on the TV or play any of the consoles, the games are on the shelf at the bottom. Help yourself to whatever food you can find in the kitchen, I'm afraid it's not much I haven't gone grocery shopping this week yet, but still, you look like you could use a bit of meat on your bones."

Grabbing the phone off the hook and a blanket from her bedroom she sat down beside Shippo. "I'm afraid I don't have any clothes that would fit you, but…I think I have a friend who might be able to help in that department tomorrow."

"Is your friend going to help us find my sister? You said your friend could help us." Shippo said quietly. Kagome looked at him. At his messy red hair, his shabby, ripped clothes, his broken and dirty finger nails. Why hadn't she noticed it before? This kid was probably a street-kid or from some group home. Holy crap! His parents, if he had parents, were probably out looking for him right now! Why hadn't she thought of it before…? _That's what alcohol does to your brain Kagome_.

"Yes. My friends and I will help you find your sister. My friend is extremely powerful, he can do anything he wants so finding your sister should be an easy task. Shippo, won't your parents be looking for you?"

Shippo's look of joy changed to one of shame. He cast his head down and stared at the floor. "I don't have parents" he said simply. "Just my sister, that's why I have to find her, It's just us two on our own, she gets easily lost so I need to be there to protect her! What if something happens to her?" Tears began to once again fall from Shippo's eyes. Kagome wrapped her arms around his shoulders, whispering to him.

"Don't worry. We'll find her. It's ok. I'm sure that her guardian angel is protecting her."

Shippo sniffed, but the tears wouldn't stop flowing. "I'm sorry I'm so weak. I can't do anything. I should be stronger, like that InuYasha guy on TV, the one who got shot a few years ago. He lost his fiancée and was in a coma, but the day he woke up he got released! I bet you that he's strong and tough an never cries –"

"No" Kagome said simply. She ruffled his hair and put on a brave smile. "Its ok for men to cry Shippo, it makes them more human. To never cry is almost too weird to comprehend. I'm sure that that InuYasha guy's cried a few times in his life, he wouldn't be human if he didn't."

"But…" Shippo started. Kagome shushed him with a finger and shook her head. Without a word she unfolded the blanket and covered it over the teenage boy.

"No buts. It's late and you should be going to sleep. I'm going to call my friend and we can start the search for your sister in the morning ok?"

Without hesitation she turned off the lights and disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Shippo alone in the dark. _'That was weird_' He thought to himself, before drifting off to an uneasy sleep.

His snores drowned out the sobs that were coming from beyond the bedroom door.

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**Authors Note: **Hey guys! Sorry for the long weight, it's Christmas Holidays! I was busy…. But the good news is that this chapter is 395 words shorter than the other two combined. I was hard at work when I wasn't updating see! Well anyways, I wish you all a Merry Christmas (or if you don't celebrate Christmas a Happy Holiday)

I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes I made, I'm not a great editor and no one I know wants to edit my stories…..pouts

If you're confused….don't worry so am I. I'm trying to stop this from turning to a soap opera and more into something worth your time, but he keeps changing every time I try to write it! If you have questions, leave them in your reviews and I will try to answer them as best I can. Speaking of reviews, Thank you to the two awesome people who have reviewed my story so far! hands you cookies if you've reviewed I know there are more people than that reading this though….. Insert generic beg for reviews here .

So Happy Holidays and a Merry New Year! Thanks for reading!


	4. Fate

**Awaken to Confusion  
****Chapter 3  
Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own InuYasha.

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Kikyo was dead.

That single thought went over and over again through his brain, echoing back to himself, forcing him to relive the last few days before his coma.

Kikyo was dead.

It was all his fault too. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be happy. His selfishness had kill Kikyo. He had to tell Sesshomaru they were breaking up. She warned him against it. He could still hear the pleasing note in her voice as she spoke to him.

_If we never leave this car … we'll be safe._

All he did was dare to try and be happy for the first time in his life. The funny thing was that he had **never** loved Kikyo. No, it was a convenient arrangement for his brother. For a year before his engagement to Kikyo was announced he had been seeing someone else. He had been in love with someone else.

Kagome.

He never got to tell her the three simple words that were so commonly said in today's society. The three words had long since lost their meaning in the corporate consumerism of Valentines Day.

I love you.

He never told Kagome that he loved her. Now five years of his life was gone. Five years he would never get back. He would never get to tell Kagome he loved her.

This was simply because he was dying.

His heart gave out soon after Sesshomaru had left. The lack of oxygen to his lungs when Sesshomaru had choked him plus the stress of waking up for the first time in five years had combined to give him massive heart failure. The doctors were having trouble keeping his heart stable. He could see the blurry shapes standing over him and he could hear the frantic words and whispers. In the distance he saw a bright white light. He accepted the fact that he was experiencing his last few moments on earth.

His only regret greater than that of causing Kikyo's death was that he never got to tell Kagome he loved her. With the last beats of his heart and the final breath left in his in his lungs he whispered something so quiet only a lonely nurse standing by his head heard it.

"Kagome I love you."

With that said, InuYasha Taisho breathed his last and died.

The doctor's stepped back, accepting the fact that this was one life they couldn't save. The nurse only heard the steady monotone note held by the heart rate monitor. InuYasha Taisho died of a massive heart attack, the day after he awoke from a five year coma that would have killed most others.

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"Kagome"

The black haired girl set down the cell phone she held to her ear with out saying good bye. She turned around in her chair facing the window to stare into the dark red eyes of The Boss.

"Yes?" she replied. The past few days had exhausted her. Searching for Shippo's sister on top of all her normal duties was really taking their toll. Her eyes were red rimmed from lack of sleep.

"He's dead." The Boss aid cryptically. A small smile formed on his face, the rare evil smile that she had learned to fear.

"Who's dead, Sir?" she asked, disliking the awkwardness of the situation. Being The Boss's secretary, she usually knew what exactly was going on, being in the dark made her very comfortable. As well, a lot of people died in her line of work, considering who she worked for. Why The Boss would go out of his way to let her know of one specific person was beyond her. Long ago she had given up trying to understand his methods or his motives.

"InuYasha Taisho is dead. I have finally succeeded were all others have failed. The brat is dead! Congratulations Kagome, we are finally rid of him." His voice was full of warped pride and it was so cold.

Kagome looked at him in mute shock. "InuYasha's … dead." She repeated more as a statement than a question. She did her best to make her face unreadable, a trick she succeeded in perfecting since childhood.

"Yes my dear. Now come, this is cause for celebration!" The Boss's eyes were sparkling, and Kagome didn't really know how she felt. She felt his arm on her hands and when he pulled her from the chair.

So InuYasha was dead was he? Served him right, for what he did to her five years ago. As The Boss led her out the door, she smiled a smile that matched his own. Shippo was spending the day with Kanna, the security chief, he wouldn't mind if he left him alone for a few days.

"Naraku," she was one of the few people aloud to call him by his first and real name. "I think I know just the place to celebrate. You know that bar on the eastside? Where InuYasha and that woman were gunned down? I think it's own by one of his friends."

The Boss nodded and locked arms with her. Together they strolled out of Kagome's office. The two had a bond that ran deep over the years that they had worked together, ever since The Boss had found Kagome alone on the streets of downtown almost 15 years ago.

Irony was a cruel sadistic bitch sometimes.

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**A/N:** Yes I know, it was Christmas Day when I last updated…I think. I do however have many excuses to numerable for me to write. In short, I had exams, writers block and my computer broke. I re-wrote this chapter 4 times, count it 4 times. This is the only version that I remotely like, but it is also the shortest version. So anyways! On to the story.

I don't like writing InuYasha, he's too, I don't know, I have trouble with his personality. I'm not a doctor, I don't pretend to be or plan to be. So if this 'medical condition' is not possible, I apologize. I do remind you that its just fan-fiction, not actual fiction.

If you've read 'Justifiable Revenge' or 'Please' (also by me) you've probably noticed a pattern in my stories. I have a thing about killing people in my writings. That's why 'The Detour' was such a huge step for me.

OK, enough plugging for my other stories, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you didn't please let me know. How can I improve my writing? Review!

Oh yes, I apologize if the last sentence offended some people. See you (or rather, type to you) later!


	5. Penguins with Forks

Awaken to Confusion

By: Rachynn

Chapter 4 Part 1:

Penguins with Forks

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"Yes sir. It was a heart attack. An autopsy will reveal the cause of it in a few days." It was another call from a too happy nurse. They still drove him insane. Absentmindedly he wondered if they had his office on speed dial yet.

"I see. Will I need to come down their personally for anything in the next few days?"

"The body will need to be identified by a family member and some personal affects will be here for pick up. We have some information here as well for funeral arrangements. Would you like us to email you some?" Once again he would have to inconvenience himself for his brother. Thankfully this would be the last time.

"No thank you. Your calling means a lot to my family however. Someone will be by the hospital in a few days." Well, not really. He could have cared less weather or not they let him know if his brother was dead or not. However, appearances must be kept up and most people would think it odd if he showed that he did not care for his brother.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. It must be so hard to loose a brother." So it seemed the nurse wanted to chat. Bloody woman, didn't she have anything better to do?

"I'm really very busy miss, so I'm afraid I must cut our conversation short. Thank you again for calling" without further warning he hung up the phone and placed it back on the receiver beside on the desk.

Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair. So his brother had finally bit the dust eh? The older brother found it ironic that a mass shooting, coma and numerous surgeries and infections over the past five years had failed to kill him. Then the day he woke up he succumbed to a simple heart attack. He would have to look into the odds of that happening sometime.

He spent a few minutes in silence, reflecting back on the last time he had seen InuYasha alive.

_"So you're finally awake?"_

"_I'm sorry"_

_"I would it that you died in her stead!"_

_"We were calling off the engagement…we both loved other people."_

Sesshomaru sat wondering. Was that really true? Were they calling of the engagement because they loved other people? He would never know. The only people that really knew were dead.

InuYasha and Kikyo had never met each other before their engagement was announced. It was an arranged marriage. InuYasha was set to inherit the 'cleaner' side of their father's corporate empire. Kikyo was the daughter of two prominent political characters and a promising lawyer herself. It was a perfect match. A young couple, both in the public eye, rich, seemingly in love.

Sesshomaru was there when they first met each other. The two families were out for dinner, to celebrate the engagement. His parents had still been alive then. Kikyo and InuYasha seemed to like each other; at least they weren't trying to kill each other, which was more than he could say for the two brother's relationship. They laughed together, talked, got along. Sesshomaru was instantly jealous. He had been a close friend of Kikyo for years.

The marriage would strengthen the two families. While Sesshomaru's father had a legitimate, highly successful publishing company (that InuYasha would inherit), it was no secret that he often dabbled with the crime world and had built a huge criminal syndicate (which would go to Sesshomaru). To maintain that syndicate, the late Taisho needed to keep many of his top underlings out of jail and out of the justice system. This was where Kikyo's family would come in. Their political influence could turn a lot of blind eyes, and Kikyo's work as a lawyer was an added benefit.

For awhile it seemed that the couple was a sure bet to get together. However, Sesshomaru saw the far off look in his brother's eye whenever he was with his fiancé. As though he was thinking of something or someone else. Sesshomaru never thought to deeply into it, he was too distracted in seeing the woman he loved being married off to the most undeserving person on the planet.

That only made him hate his brother more.

Now the now older and wiser crime lord was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock on the office door.

"Enter" he said after the second knock. He needed to go back to work, loose himself in the grimy problems that it entailed. The past popping up would only distract him.

Jaken entered, fidgety as usual.

"What is it?"

"Sir, a Miss Kagura called about the Cebolla virus a few days ago. She was very adamant that you call her back."

The Cebolla virus. Sesshomaru had almost forgotten about the deadly liquid. A grin crossed his face. "Thank you Jaken. However due to your inability to report, my call back will be days late. You can go home."

Jaken stared in disbelief. Go home? What was this? His boss wasn't firing him was he? "S…Sir?" He stuttered.

Sesshomaru already had the phone to his ear, and was rummaging through some of the papers that miraculously appeared on his desk. He looked up and scowled. "Go home. I want you to do a full background research on this Kagura woman. Everything you can find. What are you still standing here for? Get going!"

Jaken sighed. He should have known that it wasn't him getting fired or getting a holiday, he still had to work. Risking the consequences he ventured for one more question. "If I may sir, why would I do this at home?"

Sesshomaru glared his grin gone. "I want you at home so I don't have to look your face or hear your annoying voice!"

Jaken left without another word. Sesshomaru was left alone in his office on the phone, an evil grin forming on his face.

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_Clink_

Another toast. Kagome had now ingested more liquor this week than she had ever before in her life. She and Naraku had spent the past three hours drinking back the bubbly stuff. Naraku however, held his liquor infinitely better than she did. They were in the center of Lukey's Bar. A slap in the face to Taisho and all who worked for him.

InuYasha had died a few days ago, but it had taken time for the news to get out. Thus, now they were celebrating now.

"Well Kagome, it seems I have taught you well. The whole plan fell through almost perfectly! The wait was a little annoying, but it was worth it. I haven't been this pleased in years." Naraku did not shower praise often, but Kagome was his prodigy, he felt it was well worth it.

Kagome smiled. "Thank you. Although, it would never have happened if it wasn't for your guidance and training. Everything I have done I owe to you."

"Nonsense, you were perfectly capable of handling the situation yourself."

"If you say so."

The stack of bottles was high now. Naraku motioned for the barmaid to clear the bottles away, the mess disgusted him. He relished in the glare she gave him, knowing full well who she was. Songo, one of InuYasha's best friends. He thought it particularly devious of Kagome to suggest they celebrate here. He truly had taught her well.

Songo came over with a plastic tub for the bottles. She tried her best to grit her teeth and be quiet as the pair continued to congratulate each other on a job well done. There wasn't much she hated more that noisy, inconsiderate customer's. She tried to not sigh as she thought back to her old job and what she wouldn't give to be back there now instead of here, as an underpaid bar maid.

"Do you have any Coke-Cola?" The young woman asked. Songo recognized her as the drunken girl the other day. Talk about a change in personality. How were they going to pay for all the liquor they drunk in the past hours anyways?

Kagome smiled as the bar maid went back for the coke. She gazed at the TV, the news on once again.

"Kagome, I have a question for you and I want you to answer truly ok?" Naraku's voice was grave.

Kagome turned her attention back to her benefactor. "Yes?"

"Do you still have feelings for our poor dead victim? Do you still love InuYasha Taisho?" he raised his voice at the end so the whole bar could hear.

Glass shattered from behind the bar as bottles and glasses fell from Songo's hands and onto the floor.

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**A/N:** It being late, this is part 1 and part 2 will follow shortly (I hope!). Sorry for my absence. Writers Block is EVIL! So if you are still reading this story thank you very much. Tell me if the story's not making sense, I'm trying to put some explanations in so the beginning kind of makes more sense, but I'm afraid it will just confuse everyone more. Tell me how bad my writing is too ok? Excuse the raindom chapter title, I'm bored and can't think of anything relative.


	6. Red Eyed Socks

**Awaken to Confusion**

**Chapter 6**

"So Jaken, think you can help us out?" Hojo said into the phone. It was almost 8. He was tired, though he had slept relatively well and the day was uneventful. The girl had been staying with them for the past three days, and had adjusted surprisingly well. Once she had figured out that Souta and Hojo were not going to hurt her, she calmed down somewhat and became much more cooperative. However, the unique situation called for unique measures, so she was now locked in the spare bedroom to prevent escape.

"Oh, um… well, Hojo, we are extremely busy down here with preparations for Cebolla. Our contact is running us into the ground to get the next stage of the plan into action. To be honest no one here has a lot of time, especially not Master Taisho." Jaken's voice was tired from dealing with the cranky pair of Kagura and Sesshomaru ever since the virus Cebolla had been obtained from the research lab at the hospital.

Hojo frowned and began to unconsciously peel the orange that he had been juggling while trying to get through to Jaken. "Come on buddy. Surely Taisho has room in his schedule for the two guys who got him Cebolla in the first place."

These two were always a troublesome pair, always demanded more pay then they were worth. "This better not be about pay for that job, because we already paid you! Don't you even think of bringing up money with me! You and your partner already cost way more than you're worth!"

"Calm down Jaken. It's not about money. Souta and I have more than enough thanks to your noble company." He coughed a bit on that last part. Sesshomaru's part of his fathers company, a loosely used term, was anything but noble. "Come on. It's a real emergency and we need Taisho's help!"

He heard Jaken sigh on the other end. Inwardly he smiled to himself. Jaken was never really one to stand up for himself. Talk enough to him and eventually he would get tired of you and give in.

"I hope you understand the position you put me in. I'm going to get in trouble for this…."

"Oh stop whining. You know you can get us a session with the almighty Taisho."

"Are you mocking him? He's three times the man you'll ever be. You and Souta, your just flakes going from job to job. The bottom of the pile!" Jaken's string of insults went on for a moment longer. Hojo held the phone away from his ear.

"Ok then Jaken. Explain how 'the bottom of the pile' as you term it, could break into a top security research lab, steal a highly deadly virus and deliver it safely and securely in less that 5 hours." Hojo felt that a refresh of some of the past weeks events would help convince Jaken. Taisho's right-hand man began to grumble in defeat on the other line of the phone.

"So when can we see him?" Hojo prodded.

"You can see him tomorrow at noon. Don't you dare be late or you will never see another penny from this company again!" Jaken said a lot more, but Hojo had already hung up the phone.

Tomorrow at noon eh? Maybe then Taisho could help them sort out this mess with the girl and him and Souta could go back to the normal life of a grunt for hire. However normal that life may be. He popped a slice of delicious orange into his mouth and made his way to the spare bedroom. He'd go to bed after he checked on the girl.

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Shippo sat in at the kitchen table in Kagome's apartment, slowly eating away at the bowl of cornflakes that was his snack. The past few days had been hectic, Kagome dragging him around from one floor of the building to another, always meeting new people. He had been forced to give a description of his sister at least four dozen times to half as many people.

However, Kagome had assured him that a large amount of capable people were working on finding his sister. He felt assured by Kagome's confidence. Ever since the first night he met her, once she was sober, she had been a shining model of the perfect woman. She was nice to everyone and she smiled a lot around him. She cooked when she had time, paid attention to him, and some how managed to get her work done.

He wasn't aloud to leave the apartment though. Shippo mulled over this while he munched on cornflakes. Every time he left the apartment, it was with Kagome. When she wasn't around he was under strict orders to stay inside. Already he had beaten most of Kagome's video games and watched the majority of her DVDs. In other words he was a bored teenager all alone in an empty apartment.

Nothing good could come of this.

Shippo smiled to himself, a plan formulating in his head. He had always been good at crafting plans. He finished off his cornflakes and put the bowl in the sink. Then he went to the front door, slowly and quietly turning the knob. He opened the door a crack and looked up and down the hallway, relieved to find that it was empty of bodies.

He learned that the floor Kagome lived on was the living area for some of the higher-up people in the company. This whole building was the living, working, and recreational place of choice for everyone involved with Cha'trose Co. a high end cosmetics company that catered to the daughters of the obscenely rich. Shippo could tell this place was huge, with thousands of people in residence.

Slowly he inched down the hallway towards the elevator and stairs. He wore only socks on his feet so he could feel the plush carpet underneath him. No expense was spared when this place was built. It made him jealous, people were dying of starvation in the streets, but people could build massive complex's to house employees. He decided to risk being caught on the elevator and opted to take the stairs.

He pushed open the stairwell door and walked in, quietly closing the door behind him. It was time to explore.

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The glass lay shattered at Songo's feet. She wasn't thinking about the amount of money that was going to get deducted from her pay check to pay for the glasses though. She stood for a few moments. Had she heard right? No she couldn't have. InuYasha wasn't dead. He was ok. He was going to be released from hospital tomorrow.

"Anything wrong over there?" a gruff voice asked. It was another customer who sat by himself at the bar.

Songo shook herself, then instantly bent over to pick up the glass. "No problem here Sir. Just being a klutz." Her fingers hastily picked up the glass, piling it on the tray that once carried the bottles. Without noticing, she cut her finger on a particularly sharp piece, and the blood flowed free.

InuYasha was alright. If something was wrong with him, Miroku would have found out and told her immediately. Songo looked back on the two customers who startled her so. The girl was sitting straight and had a horrified look on her face. The man was smiling in an ever so creepy way.

What was with those two? How did they know InuYasha? Why did they say he died?

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"Do you still love InuYasha Taisho?" There was a noisy silence after those words.

Kagome couldn't believe that Naraku was asking her this. She told him truthfully that she had no feelings of 'love' towards InuYasha anymore.

With her voice shrill and angry, Kagome broke the silence. "Of course not! Why would I have feelings for him!"

"Well, the human brain is a mysterious thing. You never know, the death of our young coma victim might have stirred up some residual feelings from when the two of you were…close."

Kagome frowned. "No. I will never forgive him for what he did to me. InuYasha Taisho was dead to me even before his real death."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, I'm shocked. Two updates this month. Well...hmm...this ficcy is now longer than Justifiable Revenge and only half as long. Hmm... probably makes half as much sense to. I have a problem with that in my writings, I think they stop making sense after a while. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Please review.  
Now It's late and I must get to bed. G'night! 


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